Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Rocca Sorrentina, an imaginary island off of Italy, still living in the time of 1784. The landing point puts you near an art exhibit supported by the Missouri Humanity Council dealing with Shakespeare in the 18th century. Other art exhibits are there to find too. This is a RP ”lite” sim, so you don’t have to be in costume. But they are provided for free, at the landing point, and shopping is available for those looking for finer period clothing to have. Information for shopping, and a general map is at this landing point. A teleporter to take you out of the greeting area is nearby. You teleport down to the water front on a ship, just like you have arrived to the island that way. From there you begin your journey of exploration. To the left of that dock you can rez a sailing vessel to cruse the waters. A swimming HUD is also available there.

There are shops, with clothing and era pieces of furniture to buy, or sit in the bar and have a snifter of brandy. Frescos and tapestries on the walls, inlaid textures in the ceiling really bring this place to life. Residences available with beautiful stairwells full of art. The dock area abounds with the needs of shipping, supply stores, blacksmiths, a chapel and the like. Move deeper in to find the riches of the city.

I have been told that Saturday morning, between 11 and noon, SLT, is the best time for a visit. This is the time of the coffee house conversations. While at the sim you can RP with the others you meet. Gestures are given with the outfits for free. A court bow or curtsy are expected when coming across others. Politeness is the all the rage. And art, in every detail, every buildings ceilings and trim, doors and walks. There is much to take in here. The opulence of the structures and parks, with statues, fountains and the water front is amazing.

It started more than four years ago, under different management. Magistro Alda Stern and Sere Timeless have taken it over and added another sim. They greeted me and were very nice to talk with. It is meant to be an immersive learning experience with book discussions, music events, the roll play and exhibits. A perfect place for SL photography.

Monday, November 24, 2014

The Quest
Qlub sim is an open air club with a beach nearby, and many things
you can do around them. This is a
place where people from the Netherlands and Belgium come and enjoy
themselves, but other
residents are also allowed to join in, of course. The
sim was created by Lovely
Zwiers in September
2014.. They
communicate with their visitors and members of the group through the
group ( and group chat ), with notes and their Facebook page :
https://www.facebook.com/thequestqlub?fref=ts

On the latter, they describe “The Quest Qlub sim” as "a
beautiful place to enjoy music, to dance and relax with your friends,
to play Greedy and to have fun.” It
surely is the place to enjoy the music and to dance and you can relax
in the seats that are at the club! They
try to make everyone feel like home.

The
Quest Qlub is nicely decorated and the place has a unique setting as
well. The
decorations were done by Lovely Zwiers and Quistis Shippe. The DJs play dance music, pop rock, and of course take requests from the crowd. They have a new contest every week. They
also have themes that they decorate the place with, like :
Rock&Roll, Halloween, etc. They
also have live performers like Yip Jannings and Nadine Morani.

There
is a nearby beach and lots of shops, and there is even a The Quest
Rentals, where you can find a place to rent if you are looking for a
home in Second Life.

If
readers want more information they need to consult the Facebook page,
mentioned above.

In
my personal opinion, the place is the best place I found where people
from Holland and Belgium enjoy themselves. But
as mentioned earlier, everyone is welcome to join in! So,
I conclude with these words : Everyone, come and join us at The Quest
Qlub and have fun!

To
visit this place follow this link :

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Quest/62/195/21

Wesley Regenbogen

Note: Earlier the date the club was created was given as 2004. That was a typo, the correct date being 2014.

Monday, November 17, 2014

There are a lot of times when I find myself alone in Second
Life™, especially because I log in often, at 5:00 AM my time, which is 2 AM in
SL. So, I have devised ways to keep myself amused while solitary. Geo Roulette
is a game I made up that I based on my love for exploring the grid. SL is huge,
and the only way to see things that I might not see is to depend upon luck.

The Rules of the Game

Geo Roulette is a game that relies upon that vastness of the
grid. Here’s how to play:

1.Open the map on your screen and zoom out as much
as you can, so that as much of the map is on your screen as is possible.2.Click on the map until you get a red circle,
which indicates that you have clicked on a valid parcel. (I generally try to do
at least one mainland continent parcel and two estates each time I play.)3.Click the teleport button on the map.4.Once at your location:

a.You can travel/fly anywhere within 300 meters or
so of your landing point. Sometimes it’s necessary to go farther, because
there’s a lot of abandoned land on some mainland continents.

b.You can cross a sim boundary if it’s within the
100 meter limit.

c.Oh, and no cheating. “You get what you get, and
you don’t get upset.” More often than not, the landing place is a dud.

d.Explore and have fun!

Now that you know the rules, I will share with you the
different places I landed on during this round of Geo Roulette. The results are
not always very exciting, and you will learn that there is a lot of abandoned land in SL. I was
amazed at the luck I had this round, and almost felt as if readers wouldn’t
believe me, but this is exactly how
things worked for me this time.

What is it with Romanians and the dead? Vampires are the
claim to fame for these lovely people, and this area is not a disappointment. I
am happy that I landed somewhere interesting for my first try.

If you look around you will find crypts, gravestones, and
other macabre decorations. The gates and everything around are all for sale.
Too bad that I found this a few days after Halloween. It would have made a
great backdrop for scary photos.

Close to this location is a shop with a novel, but not new
idea: Pay What You Want.

The owners explain that this is a “Viral Economic
Environment,” and that they want to see what people will pay if they are given
the choice. The viral part is their hope that you will spread the word. All of
the items are created by a small group of friends who are trying a new
marketing approach. The notecard I received was written by JubJub Forder. The
items on sale, mostly home furnishings and foliage, seemed well-made.I didn’t buy any, because I didn’t have a
need at the moment. I am not sure how much I would have paid. Prices vary so
much in Second Life™.

It took a few clicks on the map until I got a red circle,
but as soon as I did, I TPed, and landed on what looked like a Viking ship!
Coincidentally, I had been to this place before, when I researching Vikings in
Second Life. Once again, I had been lucky in my teleporting.

As I looked around, and read the location on the top of my
user interface, I realized I was in a French Gor Roleplay sim. Thankfully, the
sim was empty, because I am not a proponent of Gor. However, I have always
found Gor builders to be formidable, and this location was not a
disappointment.

The welcome notecard is in French, and from what I could
make out, it’s a real Gor Roleplay sim, stating that all of the play is based
on the works of Norman, the writer who created the whole genre.

If you are fluent in French and like Gor, this is the place
for you. As I said, I find Gor repugnant, but the snowy build, and quaint
village look of the place was quite appealing, and would make a great backdrop
for winter photos. It’s easy enough to go there at times when Francophones
might not be about. The few times I landed there to take pictures, the sim was
empty. If this seems like something you would like, contact the admins of the
sim: evilsmoka viprer, anoyah resident, and omnyia resident, or the moderator:
svenmorden resident.

I could not believe my luck this round of Geo Roulette,
because my third parcel turned out to be Moscow Red Square. This sim is the
real thing in terms of being a locale where the majority of the avatars about
were in voice, speaking Russian! I didn’t join in, because I was on a mission
to complete the third phase of the game, and I, um, don’t speak Russian.
However, you do not have to speak the language to feast on the visual delights
of this sim.

Most likely, I will never get to
see St. Basil’s storybook cathedral in Moscow (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Basil%27s_Cathedral
). However, the recreated cathedral build here is a must see, Second Life™
destination. You can wander around and about outside the structure, and go
inside to view the religious icons that at presented. I was overwhelmed by the
beauty of this place. There is a mixture of built and textured prims that
really fools the eye into believing in the complexity of the church.

So, there it is…my new game. If you think this might be
something you might want to do, please IM me to let me know how it worked out
and the places you visited. The potential for amazing discoveries is one of the
things that keeps me logging into SL all the time. Share your great finds with
me.

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Tuesday
November 11 was Veterans Day, and like other major holidays it saw some
events on the Grid. The most notable exhibition was the Second Life
Veterans Tribute. Constructed every year for several years, this year it
was in a quarter of the Kajam sim. The starting spot was in a field of poppies, one of the symbols of Armistice Day in England.

The main part of the exhibition was the Memorial Wall.
Each brick had the name of a veteran, alive or deceased, or sometimes
they had the names of groups of veterans. Visitors could offer the names
of veterans they know. Names on the wall have gone all the way back to
the Revolutionary and Civil War. Among the soldiers on the wall was Lothi Aeon, in real life Jacob D. Borton, whom was murdered on May 11 2009 in the attack on Camp Liberty while trying to protect a comrade.

In
the center of the Memorial Wall was a tribute to the five branches of
the American military, with a description of the history of each flag.

There were a number of smaller memorials, such as this one of the Fort Hood Shooting in Nov. 2009 in which thirteen soldiers were killed. Other memorials included one to Canadian veterans, and one for Pearl Harbor.

People dropped in throughout the day, such as this group of two adults and several child avatars.

In the past, the location of the Veterans Tribute was full of a number of events across the week.
This time, not so much. There was a small spontaneous party set up by
Wildroses Pevensey, one of the Veterans Tribute team in the afternoon.

It was the
first time I saw horse raising in Second Life, boy was that an experience ! Hope
Driftwood and Christopher Dreamscape both own a ranch in Second Life where they own a number of breedable horses. Christopher
told me he also breeds virtual dogs All those animals that have been
coming to Second Life. This trend has been going on for some years, so,
well, I must say that it’s a nice thing.

The two don't run a single ranch, but two. Hope
Driftwood owns a ranch called “Hope Driftwood Ranch." Christopher
Dreamscape owns a second ranch called “Dreamscape Ranch." Both of
them created their ranches themselves, with helpers helping to decorate Hope Driftwood.
The
communication for Hope Driftwood Ranch is done by plain old notices
and word to mouth.Her ranch
can be found through Second Life Search and everyone is welcome to
visit it! She on occasion plays music for the horses in the ranch as
well. There are a few upcoming events: "Snap," "Drop," and "Panel
Auction."

Hope
Driftwood told me her ranch had a number of helpers, which she considered her Second Life family: Benji
Darkfury, Red
Darkness , Rosie
Darkness, Ayasha
johnannes, and Neaven
Snowfield. There was also, "My
brother rancher and other helper Christopher Dreamscape. This started out as a family based ranch! I Started doing horse a couple of
years ago when i was on a diffrent avi. I was Playing Rosie Darkness at the time. Dakota Snowfield and Benji
Darkfury taught me a lot! I
love horses both in real life and Second Life. This is my dream! I get
horse's and breed them with my daughter Sunny and Sister Cherry! But I
Love to make friends and Ride my horses!"

Dreamscape
Ranch

The
Dreamscape Ranch is owned and was created by Emma
Dreamscape (emmalee69) and Christopher Dreamscape (christopher410) on the 23rd
October,2014. The decorations at the ranch were made by Emma. Both ranches support the Relay For Life, and they play to hold events to raise money for the charity. They will most information about that soon. You
can look up the ranches through Second Life Search.

In
my personal opinion these ranches are very well made and are just
perfect for everyone who loves horses, either in real life or only
in Second Life. It’s
the first time that I encounter a ranch in Second Life, though. I
wish Hope Driftwood and Christopher Dreamscape the best with their
ranches.

Hope
Driftwood told me the whole process about breeding virtual horses,
and I must admit it must be a difficult process.

On a final note, I
was made an offer for a virtual horse, but I haven’t decided yet,
LOL !

Friday, November 7, 2014

Cuppers and Co. came about in 2008 as a simple platform for Siggy String, and Tijntjow Twine to invite their friends to hang out on. That platform has grown now into a full sim with many places to do more than hang out. Working for Bletaverse cone camping system brought them to add cones to their earlier lands and friends as well. New they have regular yearly parties, more beautiful hang outs than you can shake a virtual stick at and much more.

A castle with fire breathing dragons you can ride and battle each other with. Mystical ruins, the Seaview Carnival Park, fishing with prizes. And a Krusty Krab hidden away where you would expect, underwater wait the curious traveler. Teleporters can take you to the avatar sized Pac Man game to play, or the race track for some fun times with friends, or on your own. The bar has games to play, a water slide brings you down to the fishing docks. Shops include S&T gestures for all your gesture needs and some freebies, and Times 12 with the finest in women’s clothing.

This is a wonderful background for your photography needs. There are many sitting and cuddle places, great for groups or couples. Beauty abounds anywhere you go on this tropical sim. An oriental park behind the Times 12 Shopaholic store is a very inviting environment to spend time in. HarryH Crumb, Siggy, and Tijntjow welcome you come to this very special place. Explore, play, shop, fish and get away for a while in the land of Cuppers and Co. It is rumored, there is an island there with a crazy Meerkat living upon it too.

Thursday, November 6, 2014

The Day of the Dead. This holiday is observed throughout Mexico in modern times but has roots in many cultures. Originally taking place at the beginning of summer, it has moved to coincide with All Saints Day. Many date it back to the Aztec festival of Mictecacihuatl, a goddess of the underworld and the Lady of the Dead.

In Second Life we have the privilege to share in this tradition at the Day of the Dead site. Sponsored by the Smithsonian, Disney and AARP, this color filled villa brings the holiday to us. Skulls and skeletons abound, dressed and painted, marigolds or gems for eyes are common. You can make your own Ofrenda, or altar, to honor those you have lost in a sandbox area, a basic kit is provided for free. There is a river or memories, with pictures of loved ones and candles, and a pet cemetery for our beloved animal friends.

Many videos are there to learn tradition from, and stages for artists. Though the main ceremonies have already happened, it is still open for your participation and exploration. Food, drink and favorite possessions of the dead are placed at alters for their spirits to partake of. Asian and African cultures have similar types of celebrations they practice. I did find it very interesting that a court for the Aztec ball game, which is usable, is set there. Ulama, the Mesoamerican ballgame can be played by two teams without the traditional killing of the losing team at the end. This game is one of the oldest continuously played sports in the world. Women played this game often.

I have looked for one of these in the past in Second Life. Now I have found one. Set aside some virtual time, make your altar, and remember your dead friends and family. See the sim and learn it’s stories. And if you can get two teams together, play some Ulama. All in all, one of the most interesting places I have seen for a while.

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Club
Moonshine was created by EveleenJewell
Resident and she decorated the place by herself.She
created the club about 2 months ago, so word about the place is just getting out. She had another club earlier for one and a half years, but she had to move.

Normally you would find a club in a closed building, but this club is
in the open air, no ceilings and no walls other than a hedge. This is kind of weird, but that makes it unique. There are
seats in the corner of the club, if you want to relax a little, or take a break from the dancing during parties. There are
trees in the club as well, and the dance floor is in the middle of
it. As December approaches, there will be a winter theme soon.

The
audience is mostly Netherlands or Belgians, so this
means that the language spoken is Dutch and English. But Americans also join
in the club to dance. The
music that is played varies from DJ to DJ, but mostly they play
following genres : pop/rock and
oldies and top 40 music. And of course they try to play every request. The club
is not always open, but has hours when the DJs are present and playing music. In my
personal opinion, this place is very nice and you can really relax
and chill in the club, or just dance to the music. Enjoy your stay at Club Moonshine, and maybe we will meet each other there someday. I can speak Dutch, so to the Dutch readers, please talk to me if you are in there.

EveleenJewell has
her own group and as special group for events. If readers
want more information about the place they can contact her or they
can join the group for more information.

If I can
help to get the club more known, I’m glad to help out. You
can find the place at this location :